Fishing restrictions reimposed in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 August 2002, 23:51 GMT]More than six hundred fishermen residing in three villages close to the east of Sri Lanka Army's main Palaly base in Jaffna district did not go fishing Monday protesting against the restriction imposed by the SLA that they should go to sea from the shore where the Myliyathanai army camp is situated. The SLA has further instructed them not to keep their fishing crafts in their villages but to keep them at Myliyathanai army camp site under its supervision.

The Vadamarachi North Fishing Co-operatives Federation has made a complaint to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna that the freedom of movement of fishermen in villages, Kattupulam, Kerudavil and Thondamanaru has once again been restricted by the SLA in violation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the LTTE.

More than two hundred fishing families live in these three villages.

The VNFCF has said in the complaint that fishermen of these villages have decided not to go fishing until the restriction is removed by the SLA. The matter has been brought to the notice of the SLA area commander in the north by the VNFCF.

Since the cease-fire agreement came into force in February the SLA had removed the restrictions and allowed the people from the villages to go fishing and to keep their boats in their villages.

With the reintroduction of the restriction the fishermen have been now forced to keep their boats at Myliyathanai army camp site and transport the fishing gear to their villages several kilometres from the camp, sources said.

Meanwhile fishermen of Point Pedro east villages did not go for fishing Monday as a number of Indian and Taiwanese vessels have been engaged in fishing in their locality. They have made a complaint to the Vadaramaradchi Fisheries Co-operative Federation regarding this.